In brief: With its reputation for stylish products and eco-friendly initiatives, you'd be forgiven for thinking Apple would be most millennials' favorite brand. While this had been the case for the past six years, Cupertino has been replaced at the number one spot. Surprisingly, it's now Amazon that's most-loved by those born between 1981 and 1996.
The data comes from digital agency Moosylvania, which surveyed 1,000 millennials to discover their top 100 favorite brands. Since the annual study began seven years ago, Apple has consistently topped the list, but this year has seen Amazon replace the iPhone-maker at number one.
Few were expecting Amazon to be the most popular brand, given the company's less-than-stellar reputation. It's long been accused of having terrible working conditions in its warehouses, leading to employees falling asleep, being hospitalized due to unsafe machinery, and having to meet unrealistic packing targets that see them walking over 30 miles per day. The situation has led to several strikes over the years by workers in Europe and the US.
Amazon's business practices have also come under the spotlight recently, with the company facing an EU antitrust probe that could lead to a $23 billion fine. Additionally, its Amazon Choice badge that indicates recommended items from the site was alleged to include products containing defects or were the result of review manipulation.
All that negative publicity hasn't affected millennials' opinion of Amazon, though. The generation purchases more fast-moving consumer goods online than Gen X-ers, baby boomers, and the greatest generation, according to Nielsen (via Business Insider), which goes some way to explaining Amazon's popularity among the group.
Elsewhere in the top ten, Nike sat in third place behind Apple, with Walmart in fourth and Target coming in fifth. Samsung and Google were in sixth and seventh place, respectively.
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